Veteran sports writer Jim Utter covers NASCAR for The Charlotte Observer and its racing site, ThatsRacin.com. In this space, Jim writes about all things NASCAR and other forms of racing which may also be relevant ... or not.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Still waiting on some NASCAR moves

The announcement on Monday that Ramsey Poston would step down later this season from his role as manager of corporate communications for NASCAR brought a flashback of another personnel move that got a lot of attention in the sport.

The difference, though, is that move - the departure of Sprint Cup Series director John Darby into a managerial role - has yet to take place. There was never a timetable put on the move but it was announced on Jan. 19 and that was a mere seven months ago.

In the days following Darby's announcement, which took place during the annual media tour, stories popped up for days with speculation on his replacement and what his new role would entail. Now seven months later, most people in the sport have likely forgotten he was even supposed to leave.

What's taking so long? If it takes more than seven months to find a suitable replacement for Darby as Cup series director, I hasten to think how long it will take NASCAR to find its new Chief Information Officer. This was not to be a quick move, either. Part of the announcement in January was Darby would work alongside the new director while he was in training. We haven't even gotten to the selection part, yet.

I'd hold off on all the pronouncements of Poston's departure given NASCAR's recent track record. However, I will say this: If the new CIO position is filled before Darby's replacement is announced, you will get a good idea where NASCAR's priorities lie these days.